Internal marketing is the process of persuading existing patients of a dermatological practice to purchase

cosmetic services or products. Amy Derick provides some practical strategies that can be used

AMY DERICK, MD, FAAD is a board-certified dermatologist practising medical and cosmetic dermatology in Barrington, Illinois since 2006. She is the founder and director of Derick Dermatology, LLC, which serves the dermatologic needs of almost 16 000 patients throughout the Chicago region. Dr. Derick is also a peer-reviewer for leading academic journals, including the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology and the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.

an experienced cosmetic patient contemplating an additional purchase of cosmetic services or products, internal marketing has the following advantages over external marketing: ■ An ongoing medical practice already has a stream of potential cosmetic patients walking through its doors, without having to spend additional advertising costs to reach them ■ Existing patients are a captive audience during their visits to the practice ■ Existing patients are typically receptive to the advice of their trusted provider. Leveraging these inherent advantages

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in a professional manner will help a practice grow its cosmetic revenue — possibly to the elevated satisfaction of both patient and provider.

Methods discussed The methods of internal marketing can be assembled into the following categories:

Each of these categories will be discussed in this article. At the conclusion, the reader should feel confident about implementing these methods in his or her practice.

Building a cosmetic brand

Defining the cosmetic brand A brand, in the context of this article, is the collection of images or ideas a patient perceives when considering to patronise a given medical practice. A good cosmetic brand will clearly convey that the medical practice in question is the ‘provider of choice’ for cosmetic services and products.

Delivering a cosmetic brand to patients There are two main processes through which a cosmetic brand can be clearly conveyed to patients: explicit